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Splatoon 3 Players Claim Switch 2 Owners Have a Pay to Win Advantage

By / Tech / June 13, 2025

Switch 2 users in Splatoon 3 can Squid Roll on any surface, raising questions about competitive balance in gameplay.

An Inkling performing a Squid Roll (Image via Splatoon 3 | Nintendo)
An Inkling performing a Squid Roll (Image via Splatoon 3 | Nintendo)

The latest news in the Splatoon 3 community has been shedding light on a strange phenomenon on the Nintendo Switch 2. This strange bug involves the Squid Roll, a move meant to perform swift directional adjustments and temporary invulnerability.

Players have found that the Squid Roll seems to function on any surface when played on Switch 2. This is unlike in the original console where the move is restricted to only surfaces that a player has covered with his or her ink. In this post, we will discuss the Squid Roll bug, whether it gives an advantage to Switch 2 players, along with its implications. Let’s dive right in.

Understanding the Squid Roll

First and foremost, let us get the basics out of the way. Squid Roll is an in-game ability that can be life-saving. It not only enables the player to quickly switch directions, but it also provides a short-term immunity to damage. Think of it as a move that offers i-frames to players and also allows them to change directions swiftly.

In regular play, this movement is supposed to be made on surfaces that have been ink-ed by the player. Such design does not only require strategic positioning, but it also allows to retain balance between players.

The Switch 2 Discrepancy in Splatoon 3

As different players have observed, in the Switch 2, the Squid Roll can be initiated on any surface, including those that are not covered by the player ink or those that have been covered by the opponents. This changed functionality would provide an inconspicuous competitive advantage, as it would allow better maneuverability and more defensive options.

SPLATOON 3 ON THE SWITCH 2 HAS A GAME BREAKING BUGYOU CAN SQUID ROLL ANYWHERE LOL#CompSplatoon

— Dio 🔜 GOML🐝 (@diolass.bsky.social) 2025-06-07T02:35:17.695Z

Despite some members of the community joking and referring to this as a “pay-to-win” feature, the concern is whether this will affect the overall balance in the game when it comes to competitive matches.

Possible Causes

There have been theories that have been put forward on the cause of this discrepancy. One popular theory by X user ‘OatmealDome’ is that it can be due to variance in GPU emulation/translation between the two consoles.

My best guess is a GPU emulation/translation issue in the Switch 1 backwards compatibility layer, since Splatoon games have had past issues with ink detection in unofficial emulators due to inaccuracies in their GPU emulation.

— OatmealDome 🏳️‍🌈 (@oatmealdome.bsky.social) 2025-06-07T06:17:13.797Z

Considering that in the past, there have been issues related to ink detection on emulated systems, this theory is certainly plausible. As there is still no official statement by Nintendo, it is unknown whether this behavior will be a temporary oversight or whether it will be included in a larger update at a later date.

Implications for Competitive Play

Although the buffed Squid Roll might not appear to be a big deal, its impact on competitive play is worth discussing. Any small gains in mobility can have an effect in high-stakes matches.

With that said, the community is still assessing the overall effect of it, and it remains unclear whether this benefit will require additional balancing efforts on the part of Nintendo.

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